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Found out the original 18th-century carpenters in Boston used a 13-inch 'foot' for some timber framing, which I read in a library book on colonial building codes.

That explains why some of the old beams I've measured on renovations never quite matched up, so has anyone else run into weird historical measurements that threw off a project?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericgonzalez1mo ago

victor_carr25 should check a pre-metrication building guide.

victor_carr251mo ago

weird historical measurements" just sounds like an excuse for bad measuring now. I bet those old beams are off because of wood shrinkage over centuries, not some secret ruler.

jessica_miller1mo ago

Yeah I measured old joists in my house and they were spot on, just varied by region.